The Secrets In The Telling
by ficwriter4
Summary: After graduation, Craig stays for the summer, but is he staying for Manny or Ellie? CRELLIE
1. From Dusk To Summer

Her body felt like it was a brick. She felt heavy and all she could do was collapse into her bed. Her red hair was splayed across her pillow, her clothes beginning to wrinkle from wearing them all day. Everything felt different. Everything _was_ different, she kept telling herself. Her head was full of deep thoughts of him; him standing in front of her with those intense blue eyes staring into her own; his arms wrapped around her small body; his warm breath in her ear, making her body shudder; his voice speaking softly, "I missed you so much, El… more than anything".

She had known that when she saw him at graduation it had changed. They were still best friends, yet she was in love with him. She was secretly in love with Craig Manning, her best friend. She had feelings for him before, feelings that she had made obvious, but she never let them become deeper because he had not chosen her, he had chosen Manny. And then he left. He went away. And while he was gone, she tried to get rid of her thoughts of him, and it worked. It worked until the phone would ring, every night at 8:30 and she would hear his voice on the other line, talking about his day and how much he wished she was with him. And once again her feelings were back, more intense and real than ever. And seeing him today had confirmed it for her: she had fallen in love with Craig Manning.

She closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep. She tried to stop thinking about him because as much as everything was different, so much was still the same. She wasn't with him. He wasn't hers. He was someone else's. He was Manny's.

It was the first day of summer and Ellie didn't know what to do. She had showered, curled her hair, put her makeup on, and had gotten changed into her favorite pair of jeans and her favorite green t-shirt that hugged her tightly in all the right places. She didn't even know why. She had no plans and no one had called her. Specifically one person (the one person who she maybe sorta got all dolled up for….) , but right as she was getting all depressed for herself, her phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey El! Do not tell me, I bet you are sitting around moping for yourself that no one has called you, am I right?" Marcos voice filled the other line. She laughed at how precise he was.

"Wow, am I that predictable?"

"No, I just know you too well. Well, come over to The Dot, a bunch of us are planning on meeting up for a first day of the summer breakfast."

"Ok, that I guess that sounds fun."

"But I just wanted to let you know," His voice turned into a whisper, "He'll be here." She smiled at the news, but also how Marco felt like he had to protect her. After all, he was the only one that knew of her feelings. Well maybe not to the extent of them, but he knew the general feelings.

"Thanks Marco, but I'm fine, really. Actually I'm really excited to see him. He is like my best friend."

"Ok well just to let you know, that hurts!" They both laughed and then hung up.

Ellie knew that Marco was her best friend, but Craig filled a spot in her that no one could, not even Marco. Craig just understood her. Maybe it was the whole group-thing. Maybe it was because he could make her laugh, but also make her really pissed off, but no matter what he did to her, at the end of the day he always made her smile. And also maybe it was the little fact that she was in love with him, but all she knew was that she couldn't wait to see him.


	2. So Long, So Long

She was sitting right across from him. She was wearing that green shirt that made her look even more perfect than she already did. She was smiling, and all he wanted to do was embrace her. He had missed her so much, maybe too much. Was it normal that he called her every day and only called his girlfriend a few times a week? Was it wrong for him to wish that Manny wasn't sitting right next to him, and wishing that Ellie were? Like Craig always did though, he pushed the problem away, it was too much to think about.

"So Craig, did you write a lot of good songs on the road?" Spinner asked him curiously.

"Yeah, being on the road does that to you. Especially when you miss people." He said this and looked over at Ellie. He was staring into her eyes and he couldn't turn away. Everyone noticed this, especially Manny.

"Craig." He was unresponsive, "Craig!" HE snapped out of his trance, and Ellie turned away her face turning red. "Can I please talk to you?" He nodded slowly and followed her out side, quickly glancing back at Ellie before stepping out the door.

Marco turned to Ellie, "What is going on with you guys?"

"Nothing!"

"Really, because that's not what is looked like."

"Marco, he just got back home from being gone for 2 months! Plus, there's the little fact that he has a girlfriend! Remember? You know I'm not the type of girl that would do that."

"I know that El, but I'm not saying you guys are like hooking up, but you guys obviously have some unresolved feelings towards one another. I thought you were over him."

Ellie didn't know what to say. Instead, she just looked down at the table, trying to think of something else, but she couldn't stop remembering the way he was looking at her, and how much she felt in just one look with him.

**Outside**

"What's wrong Manny?"

"What's Wrong! What's wrong is that you call me your girlfriend, but you're not in love with me." Manny's eyes started tearing up and Craig put his hand on her shoulder, but she moved away from it. "No Craig, I want to tell you something." He nodded as they went and sat down on the curb across from The Dot.

" The night of the wedding, when we were getting ready to perform, you kept staring at Ellie..."

"I was staring at you too"

"No, not like you were staring at her. You had this look in your eyes like she was the most beautiful thing you've ever seen. I noticed it that night, but ignored it because you chose me. You wanted to be with me, not her. But the look didn't go away, I would catch you staring at her when I wasn't looking, or you both would be looking at each other that way. And inside you just looked at her the same way."

"Manny, Me and Ellie are just friends. I chose you, OK?"

She looked away, "Yea, but… I'm starting to think that maybe I shouldn't have chosen you." She stood up, and started to walk away.

"Manny! What does this mean?" He stood up and looked at her. HE wanted to be able to look at her the same way he looked at Ellie, he wanted to feel the same way he felt about Ellie when he looked at her or thought about her, because it would be so much easier to feel that way for Manny, but he couldn't.

" It means that we are no longer together, we're over." And with that she was gone.

**Hey Guys! What do you think? Please Review, I like this story, but I love advice!**


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